The prodigal son returns to N Korea

Kim Jong-il’s son is back in Pyongyang fuelling rumours of a reconciliation with his father

HONG KONG: The estranged eldest son of North Korea’s “Dear Leader” Kim Jong-il has returned to Pyongyang from his exile in Macau, setting off speculation of a possible familial reconciliation and his likely appointment as the next leader of the hermetic country and the world’s only Communist dynasty.

Kim Jong-nam (36), who fell foul of his father in 2001 after he was deported from Japan for travelling on a forged passport, may have returned to Pyongyang in June, and is working in a nodal agency that oversees the ruling Korean Workers Party, the military and the government, the South Korean daily Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an intelligent source.  

Jong-nam lived a luxurious, but low-profile life in an exclusive villa in Macau with his wife Chang Kil-sun and their 12-year-old son. He frequented nightclubs, casinos and bars. He is not normally known to talk politics, but is believed to have been disappointed that he and his supporters had been sidelined by his father. He was last sighted in Beijing airport in February amid speculation that he would reunite with his father for the latter’s birthday, but that was not to be.

The return of Jong-nam has given rise to speculation that he could be appointed the Dear Leader’s political heir, rather than his half-brothers Kim Jong-chul (26) and Kim Jong-woon (24). 

The developments are evidently linked to palace intrigues that are characteristic of the Kim household:  Jong-chul and Jong-woon were seen as candidates for succession until their mother, Sung Hae-rim, a former actress, died a few years ago. North Korea watchers reckon that in the event of a succession struggle, there could be a three-way tussle involving the younger sons, Jong-nam, and Jong-il’s current wife Kim Ok. Others, however, believe that that some form of collective leadership could also emerge after Jong-il’s time.